I could probably count on one hand the amount of things at CES that are 1, new, and 2, run Android, so we are left with stuff like this.

This is an oven, an oven with an embedded 7-inch touch screen that runs Android. It's called the Dacor Discovery IQ Wall Oven. Here are some specs.

Samsung S5PV210 1GHz CPU

PowerVR SGX 540 GPU

512 MB DDR2 RAM

16 GB Storge

"Hard Drive Expansion: 32GB Max"

WiFi

The oven runs Android 4.0.3 (I can't believe I'm typing this) in tablet mode. Dacor has an app that will let you do oven things like adjust the temperature, set a timer, and show the time. You can even remotely do oven things from another Android device.

Everything works, although using the navigation buttons is a little strange because the tablet isn't flush with the front of the oven. There's a lip that makes hitting anything on the edge of the screen a bit of a challenge. It runs like a budget Android tablet, you will see some stuttering while swiping from screen to screen. On the plus side, it comes pre-loaded with the Play Store, so you can easily play Angry Birds while cooking one.

We made the mistake of asking the nearby oven salesman for a demo of the oven, and he ended up talking about BTUs and things like that. So here's a very-much oven-centric overview of this oven. You've been warned.

If you're interested, all this can be yours for the low price of seventy-five hundred dollars. Isn't CES awesome?

On a more serious note, most electronic devices use some form of software, including your oven, microwave, alarm system, etc. not to mention devices and instruments in laboratories around the world.

Why shouldn't Android be that software? It's free. And it communicates seamlessly with all the other Android devices, not the least of which is your smartphone. Personally, I'd love to be able to control every device in my house from my phone. Imagine being in Japan while still being able to face-chat with your kids, turn off their lights, make sure the doors are locked and the oven is off, and even have access to your security cameras.

That is kind of the point. It just needs a secure place as the dominant OS, and I think a lot of appliance makers are looking at it to deliver them an app ecosystem as a selling point, not just as a convenient and open source firmware that they just need to provide drivers for.

carlisimo

As long as security keeps up, that sounds like a good future. But I'd be terrified about having my phone stolen, or my HVAC system hacked, etc.

Tomi Golob

Lmao... immagine some porn spam ad on the oven's UI

Elias

.If it was on market for $200 more than a regular oven, you'd see no criticism. Everyone wants to live in that future, but no one wants to pay such absurd premium.

People have got to stop acting like this should cost the same or a fraction more than an average oven. There are three contributing factors for this to be measurably more expensive.

The first is that not very many people will buy it. Ignore price, it's just not a product that is in high demand and it's only for a very limited audience at this point in time. Most people aren't ready for this type of product, so they simply aren't going to buy it in large numbers. A classic rule of business is that products either need to sell in high numbers or high margin, and this is definitely not going to sell in high numbers

The second fact is that this is a new product for which the software wasn't intended and it's potentially dangerous. As they mention a couple of times, they don't want it to burn down your house. This oven legally requires safety testing, and there is a cost to that. Since it's software driven and has more ways that it can go wrong, it requires even more testing and development.

The final detail is that Dacor is a company that sells premium products. They sell stuff for more money than other companies do, regardless of how deserved it is. Do a quick search on Amazon for 'Dacor', tell me how much of that stuff is priced at a level you feel isn't a premium. It's like buying Diesel sneakers instead of New Balance, you're paying for more than just a basic function.

All things considered, it wouldn't be hard to imagine a higher price tag. The same people who would pay $7500 would have paid $9000, the same number will sell.

Tomi Golob

Even rich people aren't that dumb...I rather have a dumb oven that performs well and it costs less and looks less ridiculous.

Chris

To be fair, this is what ces was originally about. And these types of crazy useless projects were its lifeblood.

I said the other day that this had the potential to be cool if the software was really done right, and I see that they successfully achieved total mediocrity. They did the remote access stuff fairly well, which is the place I thought they would blow it on. The interface, features, and performance look pretty weak though...

My concern here is longevity of the oven. Its life cycle is longer than a tablet and especially its OS. This oven needs to have software support 8-10 years from now but is that possible with the way these mobile devices and operating systems are moving? Will decor support the 10 years from now or will this be a legacy item permanently attached to my oven reminding me for years of Android Jelly Bean.

GraveUypo

why would you need your over to have the latest version of android?
it works with jelly now, i'm pretty sure it would still work with it 10 years from now.

aplusjimages

Does anyone still have the HTC Dream and are they able to run current apps.? My point is if you're going to integrate this new tech into old tech, the oven, just make sure its supported throughout the life of the oven.

GraveUypo

well i don't think you'd be buying an over to run apps current, but rather the over apps that comes with then...

Tomi Golob

True... but I bet people would find a way to publish oven specific apps...like "burn the turkey " or the popular farting apps lmao...immagine that

Disappointed at the seemingly lack of BlueTooth connectivity. I was hoping to connect a controller to it and play Chrono Trigger on SNESdroid. XD

While cooking a pizza.

GuidZilla

Many people said the same comments i'm seeing, about touch screens in cars. Just because you don't like the device your looking at doesn't mean you should basically shun the concept. I have no doubt that down the road, my home will be full of little touch screens, potentially running a version of Android since its quickly becoming a replacement for the Windows variants.

Tomi Golob

No...just no... I like my oven secured old school :D a.k.a. dumb oven but good at cooking and impossible to hack

Goldenpins

this is a glimpse of the future... just like the jetsons cartoon was. I can see everything in a home being automated or switched to hands on mode.

Tomi Golob

...I could putt a very untasteful toilette joke but I won't

Jeremiah Rice

Am I the only one who thinks of Star Trek's Bajor when I see the name "Dacor"?

Tomi Golob

Hahaha...yes!! Dacor costamojin !

Darren Henderson

The price point is ridiculous. But the idea isn't that far out there. I think we're moving towards a completely networked environment in the future, where devices of all types throughout the home are communicating together to make chores easier.

Imagine for example picking a recipe on the oven from an app. It automatically preheats to the required temp, but communicates to an automatic spice dispensary on the counter to prepare 2 tsp of salt, 1 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp red pepper flakes. A lazy-susan style herb garden rotates to present some fresh basil for you. A compartment in the counter top opens to reveal a cutting board, while your fridge locates and presents 1lb of chicken breast for you. A pan on the stove top dispenses 2 tbsp of oil and starts preheating it to sear the meat. This all happens in 30 seconds or less after you hit the select recipe button in the app. Your kitchen comes to life to assist you.

From where we've seen technology take us in the past 20 years alone, this really isn't that crazy.

Freak4Dell

That would be really cool. We obviously have little use for an Android-powered oven right now, and certainly not at $7500, but once more household items become "smart", we'll use these things like the "dumb" ones never existed.

ArrTooDeeToo

So, let me get this straight.

I can get an oven with expandable storage, but not a Nexus?

lol

rockwell

well you're not supposed to change your oven every year, right ? :D

Tomi Golob

Gba/psx roms ftw

Chris

Maybe the nerds can cook something other then week old pizza and hot pockets.

joking asaide Its an oven, so really no need for the full android experience.

barnassey thomas

This is good let them release it. Someone is going to do a system dump and then we will have the official ics gpu and cpu drivers for the galaxy s line of phones.

Tomi Golob

....I don't get it :(

barnassey thomas

This oven uses a newer revision of the same SOC as the Original galaxy s phones. Just on 28NM

Just like motor vehicles, cellular phones, and the internet solved problems that didn't exist. Smart appliances are akin to the dishwasher or the Roomba, they aren't necessary, but they are awesome if they make your life easier.

VegasDude73

I'm a software developer and I find this to be dumb. I find it to be a force, trying to fit something in where it doesn't really have or need to be. So you can control you oven from a tablet.... uhm most of the woman I know that cook, including my wife, laughed at this too.

All of the things you mentioned actually did solve problems that existed... whats the problem here that its solving? As in really solving. Cars solved faster transportation, Emergency vehicles etc. Phones solved communication barriers. The internet solved to many things to list, while providing plenty of issues too.

If you know your history, cars were seen as ridiculous at the time and doomed for failure. They were WAY slower than horses, required even ground, and had to be fueled with chemicals that weren't readily available. Cell phones were originally seen as an obscene luxury for high ranking lawyers and doctors, only functioning in a few limited areas. The internet was originally built as a backup communication method if all else failed...that may have been a "problem" that needed to be solved, but it became something else entirely.

Of course, you didn't acknowledge the other part of the point, which is that the oven isn't solving a serious problem, it is convenience and automation. Sure, this one sucks, but 5-8 years from now there will be ovens with heat-resistant cameras, sensors that can determine the condition of the food, and smart programs that will prevent food from burning or drying out.

I don't remember who said it or in which post, but somebody had it just right; In 20 years we'll all be using things like this and we'll never want to go back.

VegasDude73

Well as much as I love technology and the advancement. There are some things that will never change the way Grandma's food tasted. Cooked by herself in an conventional oven. They'll try to replicate it, but just not the same :) haha

Tomi Golob

Allow me this pun: i hope this won't be a half baked product... I had to say it or my head would EXPLODE